was the Father of the devil, for he is very God, they say, and consequently they have manufactured the most infamous doctrines, and pronounce eternal wo on those who reject them.

It is well for us that the Bible teaches no such doctrines as some teach for truth at this day. The above articles of faith, with the exception of the first and second, are wholly destitute of divine truth. The Bible assures us in direct terms, that "God HATH NOT appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." 1. Thess. v. 9. And we are further assured, that " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." 2 Peter, iii. 9. Again, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. These passages are enough to show the utter fallacy of special election.

It will also be found on examining the Bible, that the notions taught us at this day about an atonement being made for sin, is a great orthodox fiction-no where to be found in the whole Bible. Neither of the Old Testament writers, nor Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, say one syllable about making atonement to reconcile God to man. If this doctrine, now so much insisted on by certain modern divines, is true, it is very remarkable that Jesus never once mentioned it: nor have the Evangelists once mentioned such a doctrine. The word alonement occurs only once in the New Testament, and that is in Romans, at the fifth chapter and in the eleventh verse. As this doctrine is now taught as essential to salvation, I will lay before you ALL that the New Testament writers have to say on the subject. Here we have all that is said about atonement in the writings of all the Evangelists and Apostles, in these words :

Rom. ch. v. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth HIS LOVE toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from

wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [This is the only place in the New-Testament where the word atonement, is mentioned, and it totally condemns the popular ideas of atonement, as the scriptures further explain.] Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead; MUCH MORE the grace of GOD, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And NOT as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift : for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free GIFT is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ:) Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; EVEN SO by the righteousness of one, the FREE GIFT came upon ALL men unto justification of life: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offence might abound: but where sin abounded, GRACE DID MUCH MORE abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, EVEN SO might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."

I have copied the whole of this chapter in order for all men to know what the New Testament says about atonement. We learn by it that not one word is said about infinite sin, or about an infinite atonement. Neither does it countenance the orthodox absurdities of the day,viz: that God hates his creatures,and entered into covenant with himself, from all eternity, to elect and save a part of the human family-and determined to damn all the rest for his pleasure!—that God is reconciled to man by the death and sufferings of Christ-that Jesus died to reconcile God to man! The Bible does not teach these fictions, and no confidence whatever is to be placed in the astonishing errors and corrupt dogmas now taught for evangelical truth by those who claim the title of Orthodox.

"You may be unwilling to believe what we are about to relate; and so were we, until irresistable evidence convinced us. It will be hard, we are aware, to convince you that those whom you have long been accustomed to revere as the good, the great and the pious, have laid the plans of the deepest deception, have been guilty of the blackest frauds, and are striving to destroy the brightest laurel of American glory, viz. religious liberty. It is true, we do not believe them, as yet, able to carry into effect their perfidious designs; but their want of power neither makes their intentions more pure, nor them better men.

They have used every method within their power to increase their numbers and strengthen their influence. They have told their artful story to our tender-hearted wives and children; they have exerted all the influence of persuasion, and all the force of terror, to induce them to aid the cause of missions; they have enriched themselves with the spoils which they have obtained from the houses of the widow and the fatherless; and even the rags which cover the back of poverty have not escaped their eager grasp. Thousands of dollars are annually expended in sending missionaries and tracts into all parts of our country on the errand of making proselytes to their doctrine; for this purpose are sabbath schools, in great numbers, established; and we are informed by those who are carying on this work, that "in ten years, or certainly in twenty, the political power of our country would be in the hands of men whose characters have been formed under the influence of Sabbath Schools," This language needs no interpretation. One of the leading men engaged in this ecclesiastical tyranny,says, 'let us awake, then, fellow christians, to our sacred duty, and let us have no rulers with our consent and co-operation, who are not known to be avowedly christians." "Let us never support, by our votes, any immoral man, or any known contemner of any of the fundamental DOCTRINES OF CALVIN for any office; and least of all, for the Presidency of these United States." Let the principle here urged be put into operation, and none but Calvinists will be acknowledged christians, and none but Calvinists will be permitted to hold any office of emolument or trust. All our liberal men, how good and worthy soever they may be, must retire from office and bend beneath the sceptre of Calvin; and the period would soon come when all the temples of religious devotion must be dedicated to Calvin before they can be dedicated to God. To rulers who are truly religious, we have nothing to object; but those who may be called religious by some, 'we would fear and dread much more than his holiness, the Pope." We have reason to believe, that if our rulers become Calvinists, that many of our worthiest citizens, Servetuslike, will perish,

Those who are now engaged in uniting church and state, are stiving to establish a power by no means dissimilar to that which drove the pilgrims from their native shores and fire-sides, to seek an asylum among the savage tribes and uncltivated hills of America. They openly avow this to be their object, in their public discourses and in their printed heralds. They come out boldly and exhort you to the work! They have even ventured to reproach our venerated Washington, all those renowned fathers of our country who have presided at the head of our national council, as being unfit for the station they occupied, because they did not subscribe to rules which a religious sect has drawn.

Shall we justify such aspersions against the worthies of our nation, whose names are immortal as long as our country's glory remains?—or shall we regard them as the venom which flows from the heart of ecclesiastical tyranny, and treat them with merited disapprobation?

It is a well known fact that ecclesiastical powers have been the most oppressive; that religious professors have carried on the most bloody persecutions; and that in their hands, the assassin's knife has been too often found, dripping with the blood of martyred thousands. With such deeds the history of the church is shockingly disgraced.

In this, yet favored country, let us carefully watch the first movings of such an oppressive, persecuting, and destroying spirit; and by a strong ground of liberal principles keep it caged in the poisonous dens which gave it birth.

Is there a law in our country against robbery, then defend that law. Defend us from robbery at the altar of God, as well as in the highway. Robbers and assassins sometimes rise upon us when and where they are least expected; and they may seek concealment behind the altar of God. It is no more than prudence for us to be cautious to whom our altars of worship afford a covering.

We are confident that the common people will not knowingly aid in the work of illiberality and persecution. They will not deprive others of any civil or religious privilege which they wish to enjoy themselves. As christians, they will do unto others as they would that others should do unto them, which is the golden rule.

We would most affectionately exhort our friends, to whom this is addressed, to carefully watch the managements of their leaders, to guard against their tyranizing plottings, that they bo not found partakers in the sins of others."

“It seems to me an unquestionable fact, that the doctrine of endless misery, or a belief of it, has an unfavorable and pernicious influence on

society. No man, we think, can understandingly believe that doctrine, without believing, at the same time, that God is an arbitrary, vindictive, unmerciful Being; and it is a fact, universally admitted, that "every man will dwell in the name of the Lord his God;" or, in other words will endeavor to imitate him, in his character and conduct, as nearly as possible. Let it then become established in his mind, that God will punish his enemies, without regard to the principle and dictates of mercy, and he will be satisfied with nothing short of punishing his, to the utmost extent of his power. And why should he? Is it not his indispensible duty to imitate God, in all his perfections and conduct? Is it not a solemn injunction of our Saviour, "Be ye therefore, perfect, even your Father in heaven is perfect?" It certainly is. And hence, by endeavoring to imitate what they believed to be the character and conduct of God, have arisen all the horrid persecutions, all the destructive and desolating feuds which blacken the pages of ecclesiastical history, and cast a doleful mist over the pure doctrines of Christianity.

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How different from this,-indeed, how opposite to it, is the doctrine which our blessed Lord and Saviour inculcated? It was the object of his mission to proclaim "glad tidings of great joy" to all people, to preach the "acceptable year of the Lord" and to teach mankind the way of righteousness. It formed no part of his ministerial labors to represent his heavenly Father in a false and unattractive light, or to fill the minds of those that heard him with fear and trembling, respecting their final destiny. Nor did he aim at intimidating the vilest transgressor, by describing imaginary tortures in the invisible world, or the wrath and vengeance of an unreconciled God. Far from this. He came for another purpose. It was his meat and drink to do the will of his Father,-whose will it was, and is, "that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." The greatest and most obdurate sinner is not beyond the reach of mercy, and past recovery. He can as easily forgive the one that owes him five hundred pence, as the one that owes him fifty; nor does he-fear to do it, for he pefectly well knows, that he, to whom much is forgiven, will love much, and he, to whom little is forgiven, will love little.

It has been said, in times past, that it is indispensibly necessay, in order to lay on man a proper restraint whereby to effect his reformation, to represent the Deity as an unforgiving, inexorably just Being. It'has been said, that “a God all mercy, is a God unjust." Eloquence and systematic discourses have been addressed to the passions and senses of men, for the purpose of exciting in them some fearful apprehension, some certain conviction, that God is their enemy. And when these discourses have had their desired effect, that is, when those that have listened to them, have been driven to the very verge of despair,they have been considered as exhibiting some infallible marks of a genuine repentance; some evident signs that they were hopefully converted. But is this as it should be ? Is this consistent with the manner of converting the sin ner, in the days of our Saviour? Was the sinner told, by the great author and propagator of christianity, that he must despair of obtaining mercy, and divine forgiveness, before he was in a hopeful way of conversion? No, nothing like this can be found. And we cannot find, moreover,— what we might have expected to find if the common opinions of modern times were correct,--that it is dangerous to preach the love of God to sinners; to those who are yet unregenerated and unreconciled to God. On the contrary, we find it to be the very means which were adopted to accomplish the object of our Savior's mission.

It is what has very much surprised us, that it should ever have been thought and maintained, that it is dangerous to preach the unlimited